Pica
...w the relationship between specific nonfood items ingested and their complications. Currently the etiology of pica is unknown. In my research on the subject I found several hypothesis on pica, they ranged from cultural to psychological to physiological. The article brought out that some cultures link soil consumption to the causes of fertility and reproduction. The article put it this way, “pica seems to be a cultural practice into which elements of stress reduction are embedded … it is a complex behavioral phenomenon arising from the interplay of biochemical, hematological, psychological and cultural factors.” (184) While the study itself, in the article, revealed only a few relatively minor differences between the health of a pica practicing women and non, I did find many other sources with more adverse effects pica could have on a women. One article by Cynthia R Ellis, MD stated, in regards to pica, “a variety of infections and parasitic infestations, ranging from mild to severe, are associated with the ingestion of infectious agents via contaminated substances, such as feces or dirt. In particular, geophagia has been associated with soil-borne parasitic infections. GI tract complications associated with pica range from mild (eg, constipation) to life threatening (eg, hemorrhages secondary to perforations or ulcerations). Theories regarding the direct nutritional effects of pica are related to characteristics of specific ingested materials that either displace normal dietary intake or interfere with the absorption of necessary nutritional substances. Examples of nutritional effects that have been linked to severe cases of pica include iron and zinc deficiency syndromes; however, the data are only suggestive, and no firm empirical data exist supporting these theories.” The article pointed out that out of the 48 women who were found to practice pica only 12 of those women’s charts had documentation of the practice. Which means that nurses need to specifically ask their patients about pica, the article suggests that the patient be asked routinely. Joann R. Gurenlian, RDH, PhD states that “diagnosis of pica can be difficult and frequently d...